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Each month broker/owners turn to Real Estate Broker’s Insider for practical news reports, how-to information, and hundreds of real-world examples of how agencies are growing and prospering.

We often have valuable background material, additional information, or related resources that we just can’t fit in the newsletter. The links below will take you to the full documents, articles, videos, websites, marketing materials, and more.

Broker-to-Broker Recommended Reading — The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Click here to read part one.
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Amid pressure on commissions, here’s how to defend yours — Michael Lee, author of 111 Ways To Justify Your Commission, says that two-thirds of agents cut their commissions simply because clients ask. To justify commissions, Lee recommends preparing a catalog of the typical actions, research steps, procedures, and processes involved in any transaction. See a list from the Orlando Regional Realtor Association that can help you compile one of your own.
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Feds broaden scrutiny of all-cash deals — The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network in November said it would dramatically expand its use of geographic targeting orders to track all-cash purchases of homes. See the Geographic Targeting Order.
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Home buyers embrace Internet but also value agents, study finds — Fully 99 percent of millennial homebuyers use the Internet to research properties, according to the National Association of Realtors’ Real Estate in a Digital Age 2018 Report, which shows consumers embracing both high-tech and high-touch models of searching for properties.
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Housing market to see weaker price gains, rising mortgage rates — The U.S. housing market will underperform the broader economy in 2019, according to the National Association of Realtors’ official forecast. See forecasts from the National Association of Realtors and the Mortgage Bankers Association....

Five ways agents should watch their backs — Real Estate Broker’s Insider went incognito at open houses and found many violations of basic safety protocol. Read our article, “Visits to open houses find few agents take security measures.”
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Realtors in low-tax states target tax-weary buyers — Realtors increasingly are focusing on the tax savings that could be reaped by wealthy homeowners who move from states with high taxes to states which collect no state income tax. See a state-by-state ranking of tax burdens.
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Millennials, a huge generation, continue to confound expectations — While most millennials have entered peak household formation and homebuying years, they are becoming homeowners later and at lower rates, the Urban Institute says. Click here to read the full report, Millennial Homeownership....

Is commission competition alive and well? Answer is still unclear — See Real Estate Broker’s Insider’s most recent roundup of commission trends.
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Opendoor raises big money from investors — Opendoor, the iBuyer platform that promises to revolutionize home selling, in June raised $325 million to expand its business. Watch Opendoor’s television ad targeted at sellers.
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Granny flats gain acceptance in pricey cities — With housing affordability a challenge in many markets, one alternative is mini-houses or granny flats. Learn about the history and current use of granny flats....

Realtors associations collect more revenue, average CEO pay stays the same — The nation’s 70 largest Realtor organizations collected $672 million in revenue in 2016, and they paid their CEOs nearly $24 million. See our interactive graphic showing revenue and compensation for 71 large Realtor associations.
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Home prices in many cities hit new records — Median home prices in 57 of 105 large metro areas rose above their pre-recession peaks in the first quarter of 2018, according to ATTOM Data Solutions. See where your metro area ranks....